SCREEN 2 - THE LIVING LAYER

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   Oliver James Couch 

Ollie Couch is a British documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and Creative Director of Here Now Films, an award-winning London-based production company he co-founded with Ed Smit in 2016.

A graduate of Falmouth University's School of Film & Television (2018), Ollie knew from the outset that he wanted to make documentaries about people, conservation, and art. What began as two friends making films for local brands and charities they believed in has grown into an internationally recognised production house.

His BBC World documentary "Survival: To The Brink and Back"—following veteran explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison's recovery from Covid-19 and his climb of Cornwall's highest peak at age 84—was selected as a Featured Project by the British Council's UK Films Database. Originally commissioned by BBC Spotlight, the film was broadcast globally on BBC World with multiple transmissions, demonstrating how local stories rooted in place can resonate worldwide.

As both director and lead Director of Photography, Ollie oversees creative development on every production. His commissions span BBC World Service (reaching over 400 million viewers), Airbnb, Tate Galleries, Panasonic, and conservation organisations across Europe and Africa. Notable directing credits include "Bio Estrela"—an award-winning documentary about wildfire resilience in Portugal's Estrela mountains—and "The Living Layer," a year-long observational film following the largest peatland restoration project in Southwest England.